10 Alone (1/2)

By the time La Pionera set sail, it was already nightfall on the horizon. The clouds were dark, the water was sharp, and the winds were gentle.

Cairo and Mooks sat on a small bench on the stern of the ship, both looking back at the port as they traveled further and further away. They could see the lights on the dock shutting off, and only the faint streetlights in the distance remained.

The ocean winds surfed through Mooks's fur like a breeze through a wheat field. He pointed his nose towards the sky, and howled to his heart's content.

”The moon isn't out yet,” Cairo said in a timid voice.

Mooks finished his nightly howl, then made a gesture of clearing his completely clean throat, ”It's a me thing. You wouldn't get it.”

Cairo sighed, glaring at all the bandages around his arms. He then pulled out the piece of paper, reading it carefully. ”Find your happiness,” He said, listlessly. ”What is happiness to you?”

Mooks thought for a moment, then spoke excitingly. ”Rina's juicy, marvelous, jaw-dropping steak!”

Cairo put the paper away, then stood up to approach the railing guarding the ship. ”Happiness…” He whispered to the wind. ”Is that what I'm looking for? Or is it looking for me?”

Mooks joined him beside the railing, letting the cold ocean breeze comb his fur peacefully. ”Maybe both. Maybe neither. Just enjoy what you can. And dislike what you hate.”

”Easy for you to say…”

”Listen…” Mooks tried to put his paw on Cairo's shoulder, but the tip of his paw only reached halfway up Cairo's chest, so it looked awkward and felt unusual. ”Cairo…” He dropped his paw back down to the floor, ”Stop searching. And start looking... You always search, but you never look.”

”What's the difference?” Cairo mumbled.

Mooks chuckled, ”That's for you to figure out.” He paused, fixing his gaze onto the water. ”What happened between you and Rina last night?... And don't lie, I'll be able to tell.”

”She fell asleep, so I took her upstairs and gave her my bed,” Cairo answered with an enigmatic tone.

”That's a lie.”

”Not really…”

”What are you? A merchant or a lier?” Mooks raised an eyebrow, saliva drooling down his jaw, ”Don't tell me a truth with a lie hidden in it. Even if you don't consider me your friend, I'll follow you to hell and back. You know that.”

Cairo sighed again, pausing for a moment to think. ”I told her about how I escaped. Nothing more.”

Mooks's grin turned upside down. ”It took me two years to drag that story out of you. You tell her only after six months. That's one strike to my precious heart.”

”She was a prisoner too.”

Mooks exhaled a breath of relief, ”Okay I take the strike back.”

They continued looking out into the waters, aimlessly staring like two birds on a rock. Mooks would howl every now and then, while Cairo remained as still as a statue.

”Cairo..” Mooks broke the silence between them. ”In your room, when you left her there… She cried for what seemed like all night long… I tried to comfort her, but she just used me as a pillow for her sorrow.”

Cairo kept his silence, his gaze locked on the ocean below.

”You should talk to her. I think you need her more than you think.”

”What's the point?” Cairo's tone turned severe. ”We are with these people because of one thing and one thing only right? A wish. A wish we might get, or we might not. Either way, when this is all over I'll be on my way, dragging my beaten body across towns like a sack of potatoes. I don't want to make any more friends… Each one has caused me more grief and pain than I could imagine. Each and every friend I ever make gets either killed or tortured to a point where they can't feel anymore!” Cairo screamed, his voice as loud as thunder after lightning. ”Friends are nothing more but useless tools your enemies use to break you! They make you feel wanted and secure, and yet the second they're gone you feel worthless and depressed!” Cairo caulked back his fist, punching the metal railing with all the force he had.

The railing bent into a fist-like position, and blood started coming down Cairo's knuckles like tears he refused to shed. His breathing increased, then settled into a lowly pant he tried to control.

”Uhm, Cairo?” A daring voice came from behind them, prompting both of them to turn around in shock and awe. It was Rina, holding her hands by her chest as if she was about to make a prayer.

Mooks leaped back onto all fours and began walking away. ”I'll leave you two be.”